ITV

Tag: Dan Mintz

  • DMG Entertainment invests in Valiant; to make new superhero movies

    DMG Entertainment invests in Valiant; to make new superhero movies

    MUMBAI: Watch out Spiderman, Superman and Batman. The superhero universe just got bigger. Valiant Entertainment has secured an undisclosed nine-figure investment from Chinese entertainment company DMG, the co-producers and co-financiers of Iron Man 3. The investment will be for feature-film financing as well as publishing, television and licensing opportunities.

     

    DMG chief executive officer Dan Mintz said, “Comic superheroes are profitable and highly sought intellectual properties for film franchises so taking a stake in the last indecent massive comic universe is a strategic investment for DMG that will produce movies and TV that are both appealing and relevant to a global audience.”

     

    Current projects under development at Valiant include Shadowman, Bloodshot and Archer & Armstrong. Bloodshot is in development with Sony Pictures and Neal Moritz’s Original Film (producers of the Fast and the Furious and Jump Street franchises). Shadowman, with a script by J. Michael Straczynski, and Archer & Armstrong, being written by Bendavid Grabinski, are also in development.

     

    In addition to developing films for release in the United States and China, Valiant and DMG will develop the former’s characters for new audiences in China and the Asia-Pacific region. DMG and Valiant will also be pursuing Chinese licensing for Valiant properties beyond film in publishing, animation and theme parks, as well as toys and apparel.

  • Hollywood films look to appease growing market in China

    Hollywood films look to appease growing market in China

    MUMBAI: A Hollywood studio Metro Goldwyn Mayer has digitally removed all Chinese villains from its action flick Red Dawn, which recently released in the United States, in order to avoid antagonising Beijing.

    The plot of the film revolves around a Chinese invasion of America in which a hit squad of teenagers from a high school football team saves the day. When the authorities at MGM realised the storyline could offend Beijing – jeopardising the film’s chances of making it to the lucrative Chinese market – they digitally removed all references to China.

    As a result the villains now belong to North Korean (in the movie) and all reference to the Chinese flag and symbols have been replaced with North Korean ones. The film is a remake of a 1984 Cold War film of the same name, which starred Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen where the Russians were shown as the invaders.
    China is one of the fastest growing markets for Hollywood movies at nearly $1.5 billion. Moreover, the new Chinese president Xi Jinping is said to be a big fan of Hollywood war films.

    DMG Entertainment owner Dan Mintz was quoted in the LA Times as saying that if the movie had gone out in its original form “there would have been a real backlash. It’s like being invited to a dinner party and insulting the host all night long. There’s no way to look good … The film itself was not a smart move.” The company is a leading producer and distributor of movies in China.

    In the past too, Beijing has stopped its business dealings with US studios which have criticised its government like the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet starring Brad Pitt.
    The latest James Bond movie Skyfall is currently not due for release in China either. The distributors of the movie are in negotiations with Beijing over the its release in the country owing to a part in the film that shows a former secret agent being tortured by the Chinese.